Blurred Realities
by danners3
Summary: Major Evan Lorne is left stranded on a planet that has more than one reality.


His ragged breathing echoed through the numbing silence. P90 held close to his chest he resisted the urge to reach for his handgun, needing the security of a second weapon. Dawn was coming and he had run through this seemingly never ending forest for most of the night, undergrowth crunching beneath his feet and branches whipping with lethal velocity across his arms and legs and occasionally his face.

Needing a minute to rest he dropped down behind a tree, pulling a water bottle out of one of his tactical vest pockets, took a long gulp of the not so cool water and closed his eyes. Keying his radio he leaned down slightly to speak into it quietly. "Lorne here. Come in Teyla." He rested his head back briefly against the tree awaiting a response, and receiving none he tried again. "Lorne here. Is anyone on this channel?" The radio remained ominously silent and Lorne opened his eyes to see the streaks of greenish light weaving questing fingers across the sky. The suns were beginning to rise on M6R359 and this being the second day 'lost' on this planet, he knew that he did not have very long to seek suitable shelter from the burning heat of the twin suns that radiated more than ten times the heat and radiation of an earth sun and burned with an intense green light that made travel by day impossible. Taking another few precious minutes to rest, he recounted the events of the previous day.

They had arrived on M6R359, a team of four being himself, Teyla and two scientists, arriving early in the morning well before the suns had risen. Planet details had been available in the ancient data base so they had been forewarned as to the expected radiation and heat levels when the suns reached a certain point. They had found a nearby cave to take shelter in once the suns became dangerously hot and commenced collection of mineral and rock samples that Rodney had requested be brought back to Atlantis for testing. He had been working on a theory that a large measure of radiation would be stored in the rocks and he wanted to test out a device that the ancients had discovered and stored in their archives, that was reported to be able to harness radiation and convert it to a safe and usable level.

"Another scientist babysitting mission..." Lorne had muttered somewhat sarcastically to Teyla, and she had smiled at him while continuing to sort containers into their packs, once they had secured the jumper upon their arrival. "Yes Evan, it would appear that most of our missions lately have involved 'babysitting' as you call it. It seems a long time since we have had been involved in an interesting mission." Packs now completed, she passed one to Evan and they shouldered the bulk of the supplies, leaving the two scientists with light hand held bags that contained their monitoring equipment and computers.

"Let's move out people, we have around three hours before the suns reach their dangerous point and need to be back in the cave before this time. We can't risk being caught out in the heat or radiation - so smart pace everyone. Teyla, you take our six." She nodded at him, and fell in behind, content to take the rear while he took the lead.

The heat continued to build as they stopped at various locations to take samples. Lorne began to feel a little frustrated at the slow and laborous pace and knew that he had no patience for this sort of military detail. Feeling just a little cheated, after all this was not what he had signed on to the Atlantis mission to do, he took off his pack at one of their collection points, and moved closer to the edge of the forest, to take a closer look into the darkened interior. Sliding a glance back over his shoulder at Teyla and the scientists and noting that they were still engaged in their collections, he ventured a little further in, hearing a slight humming noise coming from his right. He paused then, head turned in the direction of the sound, then stopped thinking he should alert Teyla. "Teyla, there's something here. I'm just going in to take a look..." Hearing no reply, he looked back over his shoulder again and found the small clearing empty. "Teyla? Hey Teyla - where'd you guys go?" Leaving the humming sound he jogged back to the clearing where he had left the others and turned around in a small circle, hearing no answering call. He activated his radio. "Teyla? Come in Teyla?" Radio silence, and a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realised that he was inexplicably and suddenly alone.

Now, 24 hours later, he pushed himself away from the tree and continued on. As the day had gotten hotter, her had taken shelter in the cave system that they had found and earmarked for just that use, and in between attempted communication with Teyla and the scientists, he had managed to get some sleep, knowing that he would be on the move as soon as the suns began to set. He had run through endless forest through the night, attempting to locate the jumper, assuming that Teyla had somehow made it back there, but the jumper was not in the location he had left it now, 24 hours later, he realised that he was likely alone on this planet with no means of communication offworld.

The sun was beginning to burn, and he felt the sudden debilitation of heat stroke starting and knew that he had minutes to find shelter from the sun. Weakened now, he dropped to his knees and as his vision began to blur, a young woman appeared in front of him, wearing a short, somewhat ragged dress, her hair dark and unruly, tumbling in disarray over her shoulders and down her back reaching past her waist. He shook his head to clear it, and she bent slightly so that her face was close to his and he saw startling blue eyes, wide and curious, in a beautiful face. That was his last concious thought as the blackness crept along the edges of his mind and overwhelmed him, sending him down in a dizzying spiral.

When he awoke, it was in a dark cool place, and he felt a hand brush soothingly across his forehead. Opening his eyes to a pounding headache, he groaned and immediately the hand left his head and moved behind his shoulders so that he could be eased into a reclining position. "Your head aches?" Her voice held a slight lilt and the accent was sweet. He went to nod, but thought better of it, waiting instead, for his head to pound a little less. "I have something for that. Here, drink this as it will ease your pain a little." She brought a cup to his lips and he let himself sip the warm liquid, that tasted of honey and some sort of herb and it felt warm and comforting as it slid down his throat. "There, that will help very soon - you were in the sun too long. You are not from this planet, are you?" Her lilting voice flowed over him and he found a smile at his lips, enjoying the sound. The liquid she had given him did indeed ease his aching head, and very fast and he was able to pull himself into a more seated position and found that he was on a bed in a darkened room. Opening his eyes fully, he looked at her with curiousity. She was beautiful, in an untamed and completely natural way. The short somewhat ragged dress showed legs of a shapely variety, slim and muscular and the fabric of the dress fell in such a way as to accentuate a tiny, perfect waist that flared out to sensual hips. He stared at her for a long moment, quite taken with her beauty, and gave himself a mental shake. _For god's sake Lorne. You're on a planet without a paddle so to speak, you've lost Teyla and your charges, and you're thinking with the wrong part of your anatomy right now. Get your head in the game!_

"I'm part of an expedition team from Atlantis. I arrived yesterday with three other people, but they, and the ship I came in on, have disappeared. They wouldn't have left without me, hell, we don't do that sort of thing. I must have turned myself around somehow, gotten disorientated." The effort to talk cost him a little of his regained energy and he had to sink back against the pillows again.

She picked up a cloth and sat down on the bed beside him. As he felt the mattress dip slightly, he opened his eyes and saw her dress ride up slightly on her thighs and he had to drag his eyes up and to her face. She moved toward him then, causing his gaze to dip downward slightly to the swell of her breasts as they rose enticingly from the low bodice of her dress. Feeling just a little disgusted with himself, he ran through the assembly and disasembly of a P90 to get the images of sweet flesh out of his mind and started slightly as the cool damp cloth came into contact with his forehead.

"The cool cloth will help. Let me help you." She was now dangerously close to him and unbidden, one of his hands came up to rest lightly at her waist, causing her to startle and drop her cloth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you..." and felt like all sorts of idiot. _Hell, the girl was trying to help him, and he was acting like a horny teenager. What the hell was wrong with him?_

"It is all right, you just startled me. My name is Bren. The world you came to is called Centonia. This one is called Otherworld." She reached again with the cloth, glancing down at the hand that still rested on her waist. He sat up fully now and swung his legs over the bed, feeling just a little dizzy as he leaned on her slightly. "Otherworld? I don't understand. I didn't go through any stargate..."

"We are two worlds within one here. One people exist in one world, and other people exist in another. It impossible to cross from one world to another, except for those who have the special gift. I have that gift, and sometimes people arrive in this world from the other by accident through portals that remain hidden most of the time and only appear at certain times."

"Ok... Bren... you are starting to confuse me here - I know I probably have sun stroke, so I'm not functionally fully up there..." he tapped his head to indicate what he meant, "but two worlds in one? I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure that is theoretically impossible."

"Not at all impossible... and what do I call you? You have not given me your name..." Bren looked at him shyly from beneath lowered lashes. He sat very close to her on the bed and he was much bigger than he had looked lying down. Two of the village men had helped to carry him here and she had waited patiently by his side until he had awakened, knowing that he would be confused.

"I'm sorry Bren." He put out a hand and picked up her tiny one as a gesture of introduction. "I am Evan, Major Evan Lorne and I appreciate what you have done for me, I really do. I know I'd be dead right now if you hadn't managed to get me out of that sun, but I really need to find the rest of my team and get back to Atlantis. Can you help me?"

"The others you came with Evan. They did not come through the portal with you. They are still on Centonia. The portal moves, it is not always in the same place and cannot be located easily. They will think also, that you are lost and and will have no idea that you have entered another world."

"You know this Bren? You know that they are still there? You have seen them?" He felt a little bereft as she got up from the bed and collected the cup that had held the honyed liquid. "I saw them Evan. I have the ability to cross from one world to the next without using the portal, but I cannot take others with me, it is a journey for me alone. I watched you from this side..." she ducked her head a little. "I enjoyed watching you..."

Something fluttered inside him and he met her eyes. "How can I get back Bren, I need to let my team know where I am. They'll be getting worried. Can you help me?"

"As soon as the suns go down, I can cross through to the other world, get word to your friends. But I cannot take you through, nor bring them to you. We will have to find the portal."

She busied herself now with picking up vegetables and taking them to a bench station in what he assumed was the kitchen area. With a loud grumble, Evan realised that it was some time since he had last eaten, and he rose from the bed now, intending to help her organise a meal. His head still ached and with a groan he sat back down on the bed, dropping it into his hands. She was at his side immediately.

"Rest Evan, you are still feeling the effects of the suns, those of us born in this world, in either of our worlds have a small immunity to the effects, but others who come are not so fortunate. You need to give yourself time to rest." She placed a hand on his forehead, feeling the heat that was still there, and gave a small gasp as he reached up and lightly gripped her wrist, his thumb playing softly along her pulse. He saw her eyes become heavy, and she resisted then, pulling her hand from his grasp and going back to her food preparations. He gave in, laying back on the bed, and stared broodingly at her, pondering the reaction that she was having on him.

He must have dozed lightly because when he next opened his eyes, she was standing near him again, with a bowl of delicious smelling stew and he pulled himself up, feeling better for the sleep.

She handed him the bowl, feeling the brush of him fingers against hers, this time she did not pull away, but lifted her eyes to his, awareness written there. He stilled then, watching her carefully, then making a decision, took the bowl from her hands and got up to sit at the table.

"Please Bren, sit and eat with me." He gestured to the chair opposite and nodding, she prepared a bowl for herself and sat, watching first to make sure that he ate. Eating in companionable silence, their eyes met occasionally, his warm and questioning, hers somewhat shy, and often looking quickly away. There was a connection there, he felt it, but was unsure where it had suddenly come from and shook his head quickly to clear both the sensation, and the residual fogginess that surrounded his mind.

Taking his empty bowl from him, she returned to the table and put out her hand for him to take. "Come Evan, the suns have gone down sufficiently for us to go outside. We will go to look for your friends, and I will cross over and let them know of your situation. Then we will try to find the portal." He took her tiny hand, turning it over in his much bigger one first, and just looking at it, then giving it a gentle squeeze he followed her from the room and opened the outside door.

The house was deep in the forest, additional protection from the radiation and heat of the sun. Holding her hand, he ventured out and saw that indeed, the suns had begun to set and the air was cooler than before. "We must go Evan, and quickly. We will not be the only inhabitants of this forest at night. Care must be taken."

He pulled her back a little at that last comment, until she had turned to face him. Looking down into her face he queried, "what sort of inhabitants are we talking about, human ones? Those I can take care of... it's the not so human ones I have a slight issue with..."

She gave a small shiver of fear. "They are the changed ones Evan, those who have come through the portal and suffered the sun sickness. Their skin is blistered and raw and their minds... are no longer the minds of humans. They seek also to find the portal and they will kill anyone who gets in their way."

He pulled her closer towards him, running his hands lightly up her arms as she shivered. "How have you managed to stay safe from them all this time? How have any of you?"

She stepped a little closer to feel a little of his warmth. "They only come out in the dead of night, our outside hours are from before sundown to night, then early morning well before the suns arise until mid morning. We learn to coexist in this manner with the changed ones."

He struggled against the need to pull her close and stepped slightly back from her. "Let's find my friends Bren, and start working out how I can get home." He did not miss the note of sadness in her eyes. "As you wish Evan..." and she turned away to lead him through the forest.

He followed her through the ever darkening forest and few words passed between them. When she stopped suddenly in front of him with a finger to her lips and a look in her eyes, he came up close behind her, hand at his weapon and ready to protect her should the need arise. "Your ship Evan, is just over there..." and she pointed to a spot nearby where he saw nothing. "You're sure Bren? I see nothing?"

"It's on the other side, I see it as though through a misty fall of water and if I were to walk through that water I would be in the other world."

"Other world, or other reality?" Evan murmuered. "Which is it really?" She did not answer, because she could not. As he watched her, she was suddenly gone, and startled, he called out to her but she did not answer. Disconcerted and feeling more than just a little bit of fear, he backed up against one the trees and slid down it, P90 held close to his chest, and awaited her return.

She was not gone for long and when she returned she had a smile on her face. "They were waiting at your ship Evan, and of course worried for you. I explained what had happened and only the woman, Teyla? - was able to understand what I was trying to tell them. I explained that we would search for the portal from our side, but that it was difficult to find. There are to return to Atlantis for more provisions and to get some equipment that your scientist needed then they would come back."

She stood in front of him now, and he rose from his position so that he was standing close to her, looking down at her slightly tipped up face. Unable to resist, he ran a finger down her cheek and along her jawline and she leaned into his touch slightly, a small smile on her face. "Do you have to leave Evan?"

His smile was just a little sad. "I do Bren, I don't belong here, I belong on Atlantis, for now anyway." Sighing a little she stepped away from him. "If we are careful,we can begin our search for the portal tonight, but we must be vigilant for the changed ones as this is their time." She turned when his hand went to her waist and pulled her closer, so that she was just a whisper away from his body and she let her eyes travel up his body shyly under they were looking searchingly into his.

"Thank you Bren, for helping me and looking out for me. In another world, it would have been different I think..." He moved his head then, dipping it slightly so that his lips hovered just over hers and seeing her eyes close in anticipation, he moved closer so that his lips, whisper soft, brushed over hers, tasting and feeling, then harder as the sensations began to overwhelm him. She took a small step closer until their bodies touched and her arms went around his neck and he deepened the kiss so that it took his breath away, just a little.

He groaned then, and held her away from him. "Ah Bren, I'm thinking that maybe that wasn't the wisest move on my part sweetheart – you are going to be hard to walk away from..." She dropped her head then, and walk away she did, wanting to please him by finding the portal so that he could return to the other world, then home.

They beagn their search through the forest and it was only a short time later than Evan heard the howling, low and threatening, sounding like nothing he had heard before. He stopped abruptly, and Bren following just behind, bumped into him slightly. She put out a hand against his back to steady herself and he looked back over his shoulder at her. "What was that? Animal? And if so, any idea what it is hunting?" Touching his P90, Evan hoped that whatever it was would not be immune to the weapons that he had brought from Atlantis.

"Those are the cries of the changed ones, they are hunting the night, both for food and for the portal." Bren's hand had flattened slightly on his back and she pushed gently, urging him on.

"Well that's good then, isn't it? They'll be hunting animals... won't they?" Evan enjoyed the feel of her hand on his back and he reached around now, to take it in his own hand, and drew her along side him so that they could travel side by side.

"They do not require that sort of sustenance. They are difficult to understand if you are not from here. It is not food they require, it is blood. Human blood." This was stated matter of factly and Evan closed his eyes briefly. "Vampires, are you kidding me? Vampires? They are the most cliched of all the urban myths – seriously Bren? Now I know you're having a little fun at my expense."

Bren's eyes slanted up at him quizzically. "I do not know this word Evan – vampires? But I assure you, I am telling only the truth. That is why we avoid the forests at night."

"So, they hunt your people then?" Evan was thinking that life on this particular planet held no appeal whatsoever.

"Our people, and there are few of us now, know enough to stay out of their way. Their prey are those that come through the portal from the other world. That is why they hunt for the portal – it is their source of food."

The howling was much closer now, and Evan slowed his footsteps to quieten them. Pulling her closer against him, he stayed deep in the shadows of the trees, placing his feet carefully to avoid the noisy undergrowth. Suddenly, there was a louding crashing just ahead, and Evan ducked back behind a tree, pulling Bren in behind him to shield her. She hid her face against his shoulder and he slowly brought up his P90, peering into the darkness towards the source of the sound.

A dark shape came hurtling out the darkness and Evan's finger tightened on the trigger of his weapon, sending a spray of bullets towards it, the darkness shattered by the sparks that sprayed out of the muzzle. He heard a grunt and Bren's muffled scream behind him and knew that his bullets had found their mark.

"Hurry Bren, we need to go in case there are more... this way!" Grasping her hand tightly, they ran to the left of where the changed one had fallen, making much more noise now but just wanting to put distance between them and what he assumed would be others. Bren had told him that they hunted in packs.

A muted growl sounded behind them, then crackling undergrowth and the sound of running footsteps. Evan increased his pace, almost dragging Bren behind him and suddenly she let out a scream and he felt her stumble against him and then she was falling and taking him with her.

Rolling quickly, he got to his feet in a crouch, one hand going out to feel for Bren, and the other bringing his weapon up and ready. One of the changed ones had Bren by the hair and he was pulling, then dipped his head to bite into her neck. "No you don't you miserable bastard!" Lorne fired his weapon, and the sharp knife that the changed one carried arced downward as he started to fall, and pieced the side of Bren's torso, causing bright blood to suddenly crimson outward through her dress. "Bren!" he yelled in anguish, and keeping one wary eye on the forest from which the changed ones had come, he quickly pulled a field dressing out of his tactical vest pocket, and ripping through the bodice of her dress, he applied the field dressing tightly to stop the flow of blood. "Hold old Bren, just hold on honey, we'll get you some help as soon as I can."

The crackling of undergrowth had him bringing his weapon up and ready again, and he saw the gleaming eyes of at least a half dozen changed ones closing in on them in a semi circle. They did not resemble humans in many ways anymore. Their hair had all but fallen out and there were only tufts left on the scalp, and blistering sores covered their faces and other exposed parts of their bodies – obviously a result of radiation sickness. Their eyes were yellowed, and looked more like reptile eyes than human and held no awareness at all, only animal bloodlust. They wore only remnants of clothes and with a small inward burst of humour, Lorne thought that they resembled the zombies he used to watch on old earth movies, rather than vampires.

They closed in and he waited until they were closer, then raising himself to his feet in one smooth movement he turned in a semi circle and pulled the trigger, riddling their sad bodies with bullets, dropping them where they stood. He waited a moment before taking his attention from them, remembering the vampire myth and them not being able to die through normal means (something about wooden stakes and crosses, Evan thought?) and realised that these were unlikely the vampire of earth urban legend and now dropped to his knees in front of Bren.

"Bren? Can you hear me?" He pushed her hair back from her forehead, and her eyes which had been closed, now opened and looked at him dazedly. "Evan? The changed one? Did he take my blood?"

"No sweetheart, he got close, but no dice. Unfortunately the knife he carried made a bit of a hole in you, so I've put a dressing on it, and I'll help you up, but I don't think you're going to be able to walk. You're losing a bit of blood."

He helped her to sit, get her equilibrium, then gently drew her up so that she was standing. At her hiss of pain, he cursed, then swung her into his arms, and he held the P90 out in front of her. "OK Bren, any idea which direction we are headed in. I'm flying blind here, honey."

"We need to go in the direction that the changed ones were heading in Evan. They have a sort of sense about where it is going to appear next – probably their survival instinct so that they can feed."

He looked down at her and saw that her eyes drifted closed again, and knew that she had lost a lot of blood. "Stay with with Bren. Talk to me. Tell me about the two realities, the two worlds. I want to understand. Keep talking to me."

She smiled at him then, knowing what he was trying to do. "I'll try Evan, but it hurts, and it seems easier to close my eyes and sleep."

"No Bren, I need you to talk to me, to stay awake. Ok?"

Nodding once, she opened her eyes again, watching the grim line of his mouth, and the way his eyes shifted restlessly through the forest as they moved, following now, the direction that the changed ones had been moving in. "You call them realities Evan, we call them worlds. I understand, I think, what you mean by realities – you ask I think, if the same person exists in both worlds, but as slightly different people?" She quietened then and he looked down at her but saw that she only waited for his response and he nodded briefly, his eyes returned to scan the forest.

"That is correct, mostly. I am the exception. Because I have the gift to move from world to world unhindered, I can only exist one time in one reality." Her voice had grown a little weaker and he attempted to move faster.

"What about me Bren – is there another me is this reality, or this world?"

This got a small laugh out of her. "That sounds a sign of vanity Evan – you would like there to be more than one? The answer is yes, there will be another 'you' in this time or reality somewhere, but not here on this planet. You are not from here, so you would have had no reason to be here in this world at this time."

"Ok Bren, getting seriously confused here... maybe I should have taken a little more notice in physics class... hmmm?" He lifted her a little higher, noticing how small she was in his arms and hoped that he could get her some help before her wound got worse. "Tell me Bren, what am I looking for here...?"

Her voice was quieter and he had to strain to hear her now. "It will appear as a giant puddle of water, shimmering and you will see through to the other side. When you see this, you need to step through it."

He stopped to rest for a while, all the time listening out for the sounds of the changed ones. They were somewhere behind, he could hear the scuffling of undergrowth, but they would be wary now as any predator is who suddenly discovers that there is someone stronger than them.

Bren's hand clutched his shirt and her head had turned in the direction they were going. "There Evan, it's over there... quickly. It doesn't always stay open very long. We need to step through it now, before the changed ones get here. There is little time, it grows weaker."

Hoisting her further up into his arms, he stopped in front of the shimmering portal that did not look so different from the event horizon of their stargate and taking a breath he stepped through. Yes, he acknowledged to himself, it was different to a stargate, no wormhole, no dizzying sensation of flying through the world's biggest and longest rollercoaster, no blackness... just a step from here... to there. There was no difference, he had stepped from one part of the forest, to the same part of the forest, but when he looked behind him, the shimmering mirror was gone, the portal had closed and he breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the changed ones would not be able to cross now.

Looking down at Bren, he saw that her eyes had closed again, and he put her down on the ground now so that he could check her wound properly. Tapping her cheek a little to try to awaken her, he said softly "Bren, wake up Bren... we're through... I need you to guide me from here. Bren?" She groaned a little but did not stir, and he felt a stab of concern that he would not be able to get help for her in time. He pulled open the bodice of her dress again, and gently removed the dressing to look better at the wound underneath. It was quite deep and still bled quite freely, and he reached inside his tactical vest pocket to product some medical cleaning products and a new field dressing. Applying the liquid antiseptic direct onto the wound brought a hissing sound of pain from Bren, and her eyes opened sharply. "Easy love, I need to clean your wound so that infection doesn't set in. I'm sorry to cause you any more pain, but it needs to be done." He flicked his eyes between her face and the wound, noting that she did not drift away again, but remained conscious and looking at him. He packed the wound with plenty of bandages, then covered it with a sterile dressing, hoping that the bleeding would be stemmed a little.

"We are through the portal Evan?" Her voice had become a little husky, and he reached into another pocket and pulled out his bottle of water, that still had a small amount in it. "Yes Bren, we're on the other side now – here, take a small drink of this, then you need to guide me to the jumper. I don't recognise anything."

She took a small sip and smiled, acknowledging that she was ready to resume their journey and he picked her back up. This time she wound her arms around his neck and he could not resist the urge to reach down just a little a drop a light kiss onto her mouth and feeling her lips smiling a little under his, he grew bolder and deepened the kiss. Breaking the connection, he suddenly laughed, loudly and with just a small measure of irony. Here he was standing on another world, just a little lost with a strange woman in his arms whom he was currently kissing. It didn't get any more strange than that in his book.

She smiled up at him. "Why are you laughing Evan? You find humour in the most unusal things..."

"Yeah sweetheart, that I do – now lead on MacDuff, we have a jumper to find."

"MacDuff? Who is this MacDuff – you are a confusing man Major Evan Lorne. Perhaps you are suffering just a little from the sun sickness..." and this caused more laughter to erupt from him and shaking her head she indicated the direction he needed to travel in.

He activiated his radio now, happy to find that it was still powered. "Lorne here, Teyla, are you out there? I"m closing in on your position now, and I have company, I repeat – I have company."

"Major Lorne! It is good to hear your voice. You have Bren with you?"

Lorne smiled upon hearing Teyla's voice, glad to be back amongst the familiar again, and breaking into a light jog, he arrived at the jumper, to find a confused looking Colonel Sheppard and Ronan, leaning against a second jumper that had arrived at some point and was now parked alongside the one that he had arrived in...oh... a lifetime ago.

Bren stirred in his arms and she smiled at the waiting people. Colonel Sheppard, upon seeing the bandage that covered one side of her torso, came forward to check her, raising an eyebrow at Lorne when he saw that her wound had been cleaning and bandaged neatly.

"So Lorne, wanna tell us what happened out there... and I'm assuming that we are going back with one extra...hmmm?" He had seen the expression in Lorne's eyes as he looked down at the young woman in his arms and assumed correctly that he would not be letting her go any time in the near future.

Lorne looked down at the woman in his arms. "Bren? Will you come back to Atlantis with me? You need to be under the care of a doctor."

She looked up at him, wide blue eyes just a little too knowing. "Is that the only reason you ask me to come back with you Major Evan Lorne?"

"I think you know that it not the only reason Bren – you live here in two realities, in two world's – come back with me and I will offer you a life in just one world, my world... with me." He bent his head then and kissed her as her hands wound through his hair and held his head against her lips so that the kiss became heated and scorching. He only broke the kiss and raised his eyes when he heard Colonel Sheppard clearing his throat rather loudly and Ronan's deep chuckle accompanied by the Colonel's dry comment "perhaps you two would like to get a room...?"

Bren only sighed contentedly as they stepped into the jumper. "Perhaps Evan, if I live in just one world, your humour will begin to make a little more sense."

Evan's reply came with a chuckle. "Or like your two realities, it will just become a little blurred... let's go home people, this lady needs a doctor." 


End file.
